Those looking for one last splurge on Fat Tuesday wasted no time getting to one of their favorite spots in North Aurora.
“I came at 5 this morning to buy my usual boxes of Paczki. I come this early because there’s no traffic,” said Dave Nussle of Big Rock at Harner’s Bakery and Restaurant on Tuesday. “We ordered these about two weeks ago. They’re all for family. I’ve been coming down here from Big Rock as long as they’ve been doing it.”
Harner’s at 10 W. State St. in North Aurora lured in its usual big crowd for Fat Tuesday looking to buy Paczki – the popular Polish pastry – with sales beginning more than half an hour before the bakery was expected to open at 5:30 a.m.
At 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, co-owner of Harner’s Bakery and Restaurant in North Aurora Jeanine Bennett shows off racks of fried dough waiting to be filled for the annual Fat Tuesday sales of the Polish pastry Paczki. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
“We had all of the orders packed early, so we decided to just let people start coming in,” said Jeanine Bennett, co-owner of Harner’s, whose day actually started at 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
Manager Nicole Washington of Batavia, who has worked at the bakery for 11 years, recalled many previous Fat Tuesdays and the deluge of customers who come out every year.
“We’re very busy from the time we open our doors till the time we close, putting out a whole bunch of Paczki – it’s more of a dense, deep-fried dough with fillings and we make thousands of them,” she said. “Here, we have 10 or 11 different fillings. We only do these once a year and it’s a Fat Tuesday tradition.”
Washington said the restaurant and bakery is normally closed on Tuesday. However, on Fat Tuesday bakers arrive as early as midnight to start preparing to make a staggering number of pastries that people “order ahead of time or stop for early on their way to work.”
“We’re expecting to sell about 25,000 and the amount keeps going up a little every year. We are typically closed on Tuesdays, but we don’t hire extra people – it’s all hands on deck,” she said of Fat Tuesday. “It makes it a lot easier to have everyone come in and help. A lot of people try to get here as soon as possible. They place orders for hundreds at a time.”
The bakery at Harner’s in North Aurora – usually closed on Tuesdays – was open on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, for the sale of Paczki, a Polish pastry. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
Baker Jose Hernandez of Aurora has worked more than 20 years at Harner’s and said the massive Fat Tuesday effort “is kind of fun but also there’s a lot of stuff to manage.”
“Once you do something you like, it’s not bad. We know what we’re doing and that makes a difference,” he said.
The most popular Paczki flavors, Washington said, include the custard-filled “but we don’t take orders for those because it’s a fresh custard that can’t stay out as long.”
A box of Paczki at Harner’s Bakery and Restaurant in North Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
“Chocolate cream and apple are also popular,” she said. “In terms of making these it’s an around-the-clock thing. The bakers come in Monday night and they start frying all the dough up and getting the mixes made. It’s a well-oiled machine, I can tell you that. Everyone is really good at getting their stations prepared and getting everything together. It’s around the clock. It never stops.
“It’s actually exciting for us too. It’s the busiest day of the year for all these employees and we look forward to it,” Washington added.
Jeff Catalano and his wife Melissa of North Aurora said they have been coming to Harner’s on Fat Tuesday for 20 years.
“It doesn’t get old. I’m here early at 5 a.m. every year” to buy Paczki, Jeff Catalano said. “I’m picking up two dozen and so is my wife. I take them to work.
Customers wait at the counter to buy Paczki at Harner’s Bakery and Restaurant in North Aurora on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (David Sharos/For The Beacon-News)
“This is a tradition,” he said.
Anna Bocanegra of Romeoville said she has made the annual Fat Tuesday pilgrimage to Harner’s for Paczki at least 10 times.
“It’s like forbidden fruit,” Bocanegra said of Paczki. “You can only get them once a year. They’re great, they’re moist, they’re just delicious.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
